One Fateful Day
by random rambler
Summary: Chronologically the first bit in the Avalonian Knights. The meeting of four friends on the train to school. Marauder Era. May become a two-shot.
1. On the Train

A/N: Ta da! The promised one-shot! I write absurdly slow, but I wanted to clear up some of the confusion that I'm sure exists. This is the meeting of aforementioned characters Leprechaun and Lily, on the first day of first year for the Marauders and Company. It's from the POV of another OC, Ekaterina Riddle.

Also, please review! I've had over one hundred hits on my last post, but only one review. Even if it's to tell me the story stinks, please leave feedback.

One Fateful Day

Ekaterina Riddle held onto her mother's hand tightly as they pushed through the crowds at King's Cross. It seemed as though everyone in the world wanted to get on the trains, and the small girl would have been lost in an instant if she let go of her mother. For her own part, Colleen Hannigan easily wove her way through the mass of people, aiming straight for the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

The barrier was rather unobtrusive, save for the gentle Muggle-Repelling Charms on it, so unsuspecting people wouldn't lean against the brick wall and find themselves in a place that wasn't supposed to exist. That might cause awkward questions.

But Kayda- as she liked to be called- wasn't thinking about any of that. Instead, her thoughts were on Hogwarts. Hogwarts. Even the name was intriguing, and for an eleven-year-old girl, it was full of mystery. Her mother had refused to tell her about the Sorting, resident ghosts, or even secret passageways, though she had explained a little about classes, the different Houses, and given her a map of the school.

Whatever. Kayda was just happy to get away from her home for a while. Oh, Colleen was a great mum, and they had fun together, but sometimes it got lonely. She was isolated from her classmates at primary school- accidental magic tended to get weird looks- and she had no siblings to play with or prank.

_I bet I'll be in Slytherin_, Kayda mused to herself as they went through the barrier. Her mother was a Slytherin in the truest sense, super-smart and cunning. Her father, from the stories anyway, had been an arrogant bastard with no regard for anyone but himself. Kayda liked to think she was more like her mother, though she'd never met her father, so she didn't have anything to compare to.

"Kayda? You still with me?" Colleen's low voice yanked her from her thoughts. They were standing on the platform amidst a crowd of people, all occupied with their own lives. Oops, she would have to pay more attention. That kind of daydreaming would get a Slytherin jinxed, by their Housemates, or by hostile outsiders.

"Sorry, Mum. I was just thinking about what school's going to be like," she replied excitedly, shaking her black hair out of her face.

"School is going to be perfect. Now, give me a hug, so you can go and get a good seat." That was as soothing as her mum ever got. But she gave great hugs: big, affectionate, I'm-never-going-to-see-you-again-so-make-the-most-of-it embraces. Kayda grinned and flung her arms about her mum's neck, resting her head on her shoulder for a minute.

"Love you, Mum," she said quietly.

"Love you, too, little lady. See you at Christmas," Mum _was _being affectionate today. Probably because they wouldn't see each other for three and a half months. It seemed like forever, and they hadn't even said good-bye yet.

They broke the hug almost simultaneously, though Colleen remained slightly bent, so mother and daughter could look each other in the eye. Green orbs met huge dark sapphires and they both smiled.

"I'll write to you. Every week. You have to tell me everything that happens. And tell Professor Slughorn I said 'Hello'."

"Okay."

Colleen gently touched her cheek and smoothed back an errant curl. "Alright, let's get you on the train. Do you need help with your trunk? Don't forget Mercury," she reminded Kayda, referring to her owl.

"Mum, I'm hardly likely to forget something as big as an owl. Now, my toothbrush, that I can imagine forgetting," Kayda tried to cover her nervousness with a joke. In reality, she was far too organized to forget either object.

Working together, they managed to squeeze the huge trunk through a car door and into the aisle. A final hug later, and Colleen hopped off the train, leaving Kayda to heave her belongings down the aisle and into an empty compartment.

She carefully pushed the trunk under the seat after removing _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One_, and sat down neatly.

The first chapter of the book was rather boring, as it covered basic wand movements and a few comments on the nature of magic. The second chapter contained instructions on Levitation Charms, which sounded promising. Kayda began to read, and barely noticed when the train began to move.

A few minutes later, the door to the compartment opened and a boy poked his head in. "May I come in?" He asked. Kayda looked up and gasped.

He had blue markings on his face. A sun composed of a circle surrounded by little triangles, a sign of the trinity, and three more triangles that looked like claw marks. Kayda nearly refused him entrance, but good manners won out.

"Of course. Take a seat." He did. There was a pause, then she worked up the courage to ask the inevitable question. "What's with the markings?"

He grinned, distorting the blue lines. "They're tribal tattoos, so that when I die in battle, my body will be recognized." She noticed his Irish accent and guessed that he was from the south.

The boy continued speaking. "So what about you, my anonymous friend? I think you're from up north, but I can't be sure."

"You're correct. I'm from County Armagh, in Northern Ireland. You?"

"County Kerry."

Are you an O'Kennedy, by chance?" Kayda had only heard stories of the O'Kennedys, leaders of the Avalonian Knights, but she took a wild guess.

"You got it. My name is Richard, but everyone, literally everyone, calls me Leprechaun."

Kayda couldn't quite the amused giggle that slipped out. "Why?"

"I'm not sure. It's just a nickname that stuck."

"Oh, Okay. My name is Ekaterina Riddle, but if you call me anything but Kayda, I'll have to hurt you."

Leprechaun grinned and shook his red hair out of his eyes. "Right, only called Kayda. I think I can handle that. Do you have any siblings at Hogwarts?"

"No, you?"

"I'm the oldest of three. I was hoping for some good school stories, but it seems I've been foiled again. I've been asking everyone I know about the Sorting Ceremony, but they're all absurdly tight-lipped."

"My mum wouldn't tell me anything either."

"Most infuriating of them."

Kayda hmmmed a noncommittal response. Leprechaun got the hint and grabbed a book of his own, _Magic and the Druids in Roman Britain_. Both settled down to read and for a few minutes there was a companionable silence in the compartment.

It didn't last long.

There was a tap on the glass door. A red-haired girl poked her head in and asked, "Hey, can we join you? The idiots in our compartment are being, well, idiotic."

Kayda looked at Leprechaun, who shrugged agreeably in response. "Okay," she responded.

The girl looked relieved. "Thanks, they were really getting on my nerves. I'm Lily Evans, by the way, and this is Severus Snape," she said, gesturing to the dark boy who had followed her into the compartment. He had already changed into his school uniform, and looked kind of stringy and surly, like a plant kept in the dark.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Richard O'Kennedy, called Leprechaun, and this is Ekaterina Riddle, known only as Kayda," There was a pause until Leprechaun broke the silence.

"So did you two know each other before today?"

"Yeah, we grew up in the same town," Lily, who was sitting next to Leprechaun, seemed rather nervous.

"You're so lucky. I'm the only one my age for miles," he replied easily.

"Tell me about it. I had to go to Muggle primary school. Not fun at all," Kayda had hated that place, right down to the ugly tile on the floors.

"Oh, we didn't go to school together. Different neighborhoods," Lily replied disappointedly.

"Gotcha. Whereabouts do you live?" Leprechaun was being nosy, again.

"Near Manchester."

"Hmm. Don't know any families from that area." Did he know everyone? Though, with a family like that, Kayda would not have been terribly surprised to learn that he did, in fact, know most of British Wizarding Society. The O'Kennedys were supposedly rather aware of things like that.

"Well, my parents are Muggles, so no one knows us," Lily replied, still rather nervous. And she had a right to be. Most wizards still disliked Muggles, no matter what they said.

"My mother was Eileen Prince before she married." Kayda looked at Severus, impressed.

"No way! My mum talks about her friend Eileen, whose last name I can't remember. I wonder if it's 'Prince'. They went to school together about a hundred million years ago. Well, maybe not that long," she added with a wink. Severus smiled weakly in return.

"Small world," Leprechaun piped up.

"So what House do you think you'll be in?" Lily asked her, evidently still searching for a topic of conversation besides Leprechaun's scary tattoos.

"Slytherin, it runs in my family."

"Mine, too. But Ravenclaw would be good. Lots of smart people," Severus chimed in.

"I agree, but I'll probably be Gryffindor. It runs in my family." Kayda couldn't tell if Leprechaun was teasing or not, so she let the remark slide. Severus smirked, so she knew he had caught it.

"So, who were you two escaping?" Leprechaun asked curiously, as Kayda opened her mouth to ask that very same question.

"Some idiots called James Potter and Sirius Black. And, may I ask you, who names their kid 'Sirius'? I mean, the poor guy."

"He didn't seem to be suffering from his weird name," Severus commented darkly. As if he was one to talk. "Jerk," he mumbled. Kayda guessed that Black had insulted him.

"The Blacks would name their kid 'Sirius'. Most of the Blacks are named after constellations. Bellatrix is a seventh year, Andromeda is a fifth year, and Sirius has a brother, Regulus, who's two years younger. His father is Orion and his uncle is Cygnus. Got all that? There will be a test later." Now Leprechaun was obviously joking.

"Good God, there's more of them? Save me!" Severus moaned melodramatically.

"I for one find it interesting that he's teamed up with James Potter. That family is about as law-abiding as they come, while the Blacks… well, they're big fans of Dark Magic. They're also big supporters of that pure-blood supremacist, whats-his-name, Lord Voldemort."

"Oh, I've heard about that. He wants to kick out all the Muggle-borns," Kayda said, with a surreptitious glance at Lily, who looked surprised, then angry. She nudged Severus with her foot.

"You told me that being Muggle-born didn't matter!" She glowered at Snape, who sunk down in his seat, guiltily.

"I didn't know about this Lord Volde-thingy," he protested. Lily didn't look convinced.

"Lily, relax. He's part of a fringe movement. The chances of something actually happening are fairly low. The vast majority of the Wizarding World doesn't care if you're Muggle-born, so long as you can do the work. And if someone gives you a hard time, Snape and I can break his nose for you," Leprechaun soothed her gently, with a glance at Kayda that made her seriously uneasy.

"How do you know all this stuff?" Lily asked him.

"My father's on the Wizangamot; that's like our legislative government. He tells me about what's going on. And we hear rumors and investigate them. I know lots of stuff that the general public doesn't," he explained importantly. There is was again, that knowing glance. Kayda decided to bite the bullet and ask.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Well, ever heard of a guy called Tom Riddle?"

"He's my father."

"Did you know that's Lord Voldemort's real name?" Kayda's eyes widened.

"That's a horrible lie to tell about someone!" She stood and was about to storm out of the compartment, but Leprechaun grabbed her hand, effectively anchoring her in place. He was terribly strong for a first year.

"Wait. Why should it matter? You're his daughter, not his copy. Just because our parents are good, or bad, doesn't mean that we are automatically the same. We are what we make of ourselves."

Kayda sat back down with a sigh. "I guess you're right. It's just kind of irritating to think that my father is a monster."

"Well, like Leprechaun said, he's part of a fringe movement. No one is going to care." Lily was trying to make her feel better, and it worked, sort of.

"Okay, let's not talk about that. What a depressing way to start to the term," Kayda said, with a shaky laugh, trying to turn the topic.

It worked. The conversation changed to what to expect in classes, and their various origins were forgotten. Kayda quickly forgave Leprechaun, knowing that he didn't mean to upset her. She was also intrigued by the shock that ran through her when he grabbed her hand. The rest of the ride passed calmly, and too soon Hogwarts loomed in the distance, beckoning them to a new year.

A/N: There you go! Please review because if I think there's a lot of interest, I'll post stuff faster. If no one is reading this stuff, I won't make as much of an effort.

In case anyone cares: I realize that everyone sounds a bit grown up, and normal eleven-year-olds think of their parents as 'mom' and 'dad', not by their names, but I think they would be trying to show how grown up they are at this point. That's also why Leprechaun sounds like a bit of a jerk. He's going off to school and thinks he's a 'big man' all of a sudden, so it comes out in conversation.


	2. The Sorting

Ta da! The second chapter of One Fateful Day. I hope you enjoy it.

The Sorting

Hogwarts was huge, easily the size of Avalon Castle, but much more fairy- tale-ish, Leprechaun concluded, as they sailed across the lake in a boat the size of a teacup. It had more towers and turrets and had definitely been built with magic. For all its size the structure looked less imposing than his home, as it lacked the motte and bailey type construction of Avalon. Avalon was a fortress, built to be easily defensible in case of Muggle or magical attack. Hogwarts would be impossible to defend from a Muggle siege. But it was still beautiful.

"It's September, correct?" Kayda asked him out of the blue, as the tiny boat sailed across the lake.

"Yes, why?" He didn't really care about the answer. He was too busy trying to keep the boat from flipping over. Lily was bouncing up and down in her seat with excitement and the movement rocked the small craft dangerously.

"Then why is it so cold out?" He didn't have an answer for that one, so he just shrugged.

"I personally don't care about the cold," Severus chimed in, grabbing onto Lily and forcing her to sit in a more central position of the boat, even if she still wiggled about happily. "I just want to know why we have to cross the lake in boats, instead of riding in carriages like everyone else."

"They likely find it fun to torture innocent first-years like ourselves," Kayda said darkly. Leprechaun wondered idly if she was always so melancholy. Maybe he would be able to make her happy, to make her smile more often. She had a nice smile.

Now where had that thought come from? They were only eleven; they weren't supposed to_ like _each other yet. Eww. Leprechaun promptly pushed that thought to the back of his mind and tried to pay attention to the conversation.

"Innocent? Us? Unlikely," Severus said with a smirk that almost became a grin.

"Speak for yourself," was Kayda's only response. With that pronouncement, the boat ran aground on the shore and Leprechaun immediately leaped out, as confident in or on water as he was on his own feet or on horseback. He turned back to give a hand to Kayda and Lily, who both leaned on him carefully. Kayda gave him a smile of thanks, but Lily was staring about, eyes wide with anticipation. She wasn't the only one. It was easy to tell the Muggle-born students or the ones whose parents hadn't told them what to expect. They were all staring. Leprechaun couldn't blame them. The castle was beautiful in the clear night, its lights twinkling like benevolent eyes.

The first years were shepherded up a path and through a set of giant doors, into the Entrance Hall. There, the giant man who had escorted them handed off the group to a witch wearing long green robes and a faint scowl.

"Good evening," she said in a voice that carried even to the back of the group. "My name is Professor McGonagall. I am the Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration professor, as well as Head of Gryffindor House. I bid you welcome to Hogwarts. In a few moments you will be Sorted into your Houses, in which you will live for the next seven years. The Houses are named Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own history and reputation to maintain. Therefore, your triumphs will earn you house points, but any rule- breaking and you will lose points. I now ask that you take a moment to compose yourselves before the Sorting." She was referring to a boy in the front row who had evidently fallen in the lake, so soaked were his robes; and to James Potter, whose hair stood up in every direction, as if he'd just had a fright.

Leprechaun brushed his fingers through his hair and straightened his robes. Kayda, who was standing next to him, reached over and fixed his tie, which had become crooked. She grinned at him excitedly, blue eyes sparkling, and he grinned back.

McGonagall cleared her throat and fifty children looked back at her. She gave them what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, then turned and led the way through another set of doors.

It was the Great Hall. Leprechaun was surprised by its size, but had no time to think about that. They moved toward the front of the Hall, where the teachers were sitting, and stopped in front of a stool, which had a ragged hat sitting on it.

Was a monster going to come out of the Hat and attack them? No, they wouldn't do something so dangerous, Leprechaun decided, but he couldn't think of any other reason for the thing to be sitting there. Suddenly the Hat burst into song. Leprechaun was so surprised that he didn't even pay attention to the words, only catching bits about 'You may belong in Gryffindor' and 'The smartest go to Ravenclaw'. It was rather fascinating, seeing the brim of the hat opening and closing like a mouth.

"Now I'm the smartest hat  
That you will ever see  
Don't be afraid to put me on  
To learn where you will be."

The Hat finished its song, and all of the older students applauded. When the applause died down, Professor McGonagall stood up on the dais and said, "When I call your name, you will come forward, place the Hat on your head and wait to be sorted. Then you will be seated at your house table. "Avery, Robert!"

Avery sauntered up to the stool and sat down. After about five seconds, the Hat shouted, "Slytherin!"

There was a short burst of applause and Avery made his way to the Slytherin table.

"Black, Sirius!"

"Gryffindor!" The Hall went silent. A Black in Gryffindor? Such a thing was unheard of. But Sirius seemed almost relieved. He made his way to the Gryffindor table, pausing to give James Potter a high-five.

The Sorting continued. Lily was put into Gryffindor, much to Severus' disappointment. Leprechaun heard him sigh dejectedly as his friend became his enemy, at least in theory.

A boy named Remus Lupin was Sorted into Gryffindor as well. Another boy went to Hufflepuff and three girls right in a row were sorted into Ravenclaw. Then it was Leprechaun's turn. He sat on the stool and flipped the hat onto his head. It slid down to cover his eyes and a weird voice spoke in his ear.

"Another O'Kennedy? Much like your father, I'm afraid. He seemed like a good person, right down to those tattoos on his face. A barbarous practice, in my opinion."

_What is it with people and tats_, Leprechaun thought irritatedly. Every time he turned around, someone was commenting on them.

"Take no offense young sir, you are far too bold and brash. Better be Gryffindor!" The Hat shouted the last word, and the cheers erupted. Leprechaun pulled the hat off his head and set it down on the stool. He walked to the table and sat down next to Lily. She smiled at him and appeared about to speak, but was silenced by a look from McGonagall.

"Pettigrew, Peter," and "Potter, James," were Sorted into Gryffindor. Another girl, "Pringle, Josephine," went to Ravenclaw, and it was Kayda's turn. She was Sorted into Slytherin and Leprechaun shared a disappointed look with Lily. It seemed that Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't socialize much, unfortunately.

Severus was Sorted into Slytherin as well. Hell's bells, he was stuck with only the idiots, who were busy poking each other and whispering. Sleeping in a dormitory with these four was going to be interesting.

Leprechaun had little interest in the rest of the Sorting, only noting when it ended that Headmaster Dumbledore rose and asked for the school's attention.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, for our new students, and for those of you returning, welcome back! I know you are famished and wish to converse with your Housemates, so my remarks will be brief. I wish only to remind you that there is to be no magic in the corridors, and that you are not allowed into the Forbidden Forest." _Well duh_, Leprechaun thought sardonically, _no one could have possibly guessed that_. Lily gave him a funny look and he realized that he had also spoken aloud. Oops, he was going to have to get himself a gag. Or something.

"I bid you have a safe and happy year, and if there are any questions, you may ask your professors or house prefects. Now, help yourselves to this most excellent feast!" Dumbledore sat down and Leprechaun turned his attention to the mountains of food that had appeared on the table, compliments of the house-elves, he guessed.

Leprechaun was starving, having not eaten since that morning and he piled his plate with everything within reach and dug in. The rest of the school did the same, but everyone was so exhausted after the long day that only a short time later, some of them looked about ready to fall asleep. Lily rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, but desisted when she couldn't find a comfortable spot. She was entirely too trusting, Leprechaun mused absently.

Apparently, Dumbledore got the hint, though, and dismissed the students to the care of their prefects. Leprechaun waved good night to Kayda and Severus as the students parted ways.

He tried to remember the way to the Common Room, but it was impossible. Up seven flights of stairs, around this corner, down a corridor, and then he was lost. Fortunately, the older students seemed to know their way around. After a few minutes, they came to a painting of a very large woman who asked for the password. It was 'Courage'. If he had been more awake, Leprechaun would have mused on the simplicity of the password and its cheesiness, but he wasn't. The painting swung open and everyone file through the hole it revealed into the Common Room, which was hung with scarlet and gold banners, and had many squishy armchairs and study tables. Leprechaun bypassed all of those and stood himself in an empty corner, hoping to stay awake until McGonagall spoke to them, as the prefects had told them she would.

He didn't have to wait long. McGonagall entered the room, and after waiting for quiet, spoke to them about upholding the reputation of their House, and the consequences- many of which sounded rather dreadful- of breaking the rules. After reminding everyone that breakfast was at seven and that they'd all better be present, they were dismissed to their dormitories.

Leprechaun couldn't escape fast enough. After a quick goodnight to Lily, he bolted for the staircase, and a bed.

Everyone's things had been brought up and Leprechaun quickly showered and changed into the first pajamas he found. When he exited the bathroom, his dorm mates were just starting to unpack. They all turned around and stared at him, until he glared at them. The round boy- Peter, was it?- squeaked and returned to his things. Potter and Black still stared and Lupin ignored all of them. Leprechaun decided to do the same and flopped into bed. So much for the first day at school. He'd still rather be home, where he was considered normal.

There you have it. I hope to continue this line of thinking with a multi-chapter fic called Seven Long Years, detailing the friendship of Lily, Severus, Kayda, and Leprechaun. I'm not sure how it will be formatted or when I'll start posting, so keep checking back. In the meantime, please review!


End file.
